Report online fraud cases to police: Economy Ministry

UAE online shoppers who believe they have been cheated should inform the police instead of the Ministry of Economy as it is not responsible for such cases, a senior ministry official was reported on Tuesday as saying.

Hashim Al Nuaimi, head of the Consumer Protection Division, said the ministry had been flooded by complaints from online shoppers that the products they have bought are below the specified standards.

He said the complaints involved purchases of different products online including clothes, watches, slimming drugs, cosmetics and other items.

“They later discovered that the products they have purchased are not compatible with the specifications enforced in the UAE,” he told local newspapers.

“We have asked them to report such deals to the police and the telecommunications regulatory authority to identify the sellers on those websites.

"We have made clear that the ministry is not responsible for online cheating and warned them that most website dealers tend to cheat their customers.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.